


foundations: a prologue

by loonyBibliophile



Series: new traditions (a life for you and me) [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: College AU, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-09 01:17:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16440326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loonyBibliophile/pseuds/loonyBibliophile
Summary: Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones met on move-in day for their shared dorm building, at that evening’s introductory floor meeting. It was just past seven pm and the entire third floor was exhausted and sweaty from a day of moving, and the only reason anyone was there was because it was mandatory and there was free pizza. Standing in the center of the hallway, watching all of the tired freshman, was a red headed girl in what looked like red silk pajamas.





	foundations: a prologue

_August 2016_

Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones met on move-in day for their shared dorm building, at that evening’s introductory floor meeting. It was just past seven pm and the entire third floor was exhausted and sweaty from a day of moving, and the only reason anyone was there was because it was mandatory and there was free pizza. Standing in the center of the hallway, watching all of the tired freshman, was a red headed girl in what looked like red silk pajamas. 

“Listen up, losers,” the girl says, placing her hands on her hips “I know you tragic newbies don’t want to be here anymore than I do, so let’s make this quick. I’m your RA, Cheryl Blossom. I’m a theatre major and a literature minor. I’m 21, and I’m a junior. I don’t want to catch any of you breaking the rules, but _catch_ is the key word here. I’m not a babysitter, and I don’t care what you’re doing, just do it quietly. Now, go around and introduce yourselves. Tell us your name, age, and major, and a fact about yourself. I want to go back to watching the Matchelor and guessing which girls are screwing behind the scenes, so hurry up.” Cheryl pauses, turning until she points at Jughead, who’s slumped against the wall in a tank top and old basketball shorts and a flannel around his waist “You, hobo. Go first, then we go around clockwise.” 

“Well, it’s not my real name, but I go by Jughead. My real name is worse, no I will not tell anyone what it is. I’m 18, majoring in creative writing and minoring in nonfiction. I ride a motorcycle. That’s it.” Jughead shrugged, and the activity wound its way around the circle until it got to Betty, who somehow looked almost as fresh as she had when she got out of the van that morning. 

“I’m Elizabeth Cooper, but please call me Betty. I’m 18, and a journalism major, but I’m going to minor in either creative writing or nonfiction, and in my spare time I repair and refurbish old cars!” 

Jughead didn’t hear a single word anyone uttered for the rest of the meeting, because he was hung up on the fact that the angelic looking blonde girl was a writer who fixed cars. He’d planned to spend all four years of his degree focused on classes, work, and therapy with little attention to making friends or connections, but maybe he’d have to make some kind of an exception. 

After the meeting, Betty watched as Jughead moved to retreat into his room for the night. She smiled to herself, noting it was right across the hall from her own room. He had a piece of pizza in his mouth, and another in his hand. She half jogged to get over to him. 

“Hey, wait,” she called out, and he turned back to look at her, obviously puzzled “What kind of bike do you ride?” she asked, hovering in front of her door, eyes lit up. Jughead grinned, holding up a finger and swallowing his bite of pizza. 

“A vintage Harley from the 80’s. Picked it up at a scrapyard back in high school and fixed it up in shop class.” 

“Did you bring it with you?” Betty asked, sliding her hands into the pockets of her denim shorts. 

“Yeah, it’s in the building lot.” Jughead smiled again, stepping back from his door. Betty beamed at him, leaning forward slightly.

“Show me.” 

_June 2017_

“You’re sure your other roommates are okay with this? I feel super weird about it.” Jughead said, making a face as he looked around the spacious condo they’d been touring.

“They are, but are you, Jug? We can do something else. There was that place off the highway–”

“The converted hotel that looks like the set of a Hitchcock film? Sure, we can live there if you want some crazy dude to skin you alive.” Jughead looked over at Betty, frowning.

“Oh my god, you are so dramatic, it was not that bad. But being right off the highway isn’t great, I agree. But what about that place in Jersey?” Betty offered, leaning against the island of the apartment’s kitchen. 

“Well, it’s better than Chateau Hitchcock, but it’s a hell of a commute, and we both have a lot of business in the city proper.” Jughead sighed. “I know this is the best option. We should– I should– be jumping at it. But it just feels like such a big thing for someone to do for a friend and their friend’s friend.”

“Jug! Ronnie and Kevin are your friends too. They love you.” Betty rolled her eyes. 

“Only sort of.” Jughead ran a hand through his hair, knocking the grey knit cap off his head with a sigh. Betty frowned, and walked over to the archway he was leaning against between the kitchen and dining rooms. 

“We’ll still be paying rent, Juggie. Just not a lot. Kevin’s dad is a cop, and totally obsessed with Kevin having a safe place to live. Ron has the money and just doesn’t want to live alone. And they asked both of us, not just me. But if you really don’t think you can do this and feel okay about it, we’ll figure it out.” Betty put her hand on Jughead’s shoulder, squeezing slightly. 

“Okay. Let’s do it. But I want to help you do all the cooking I know you’re going to do to make the rent up to Veronica. Deal?” Jughead offered a hesitant smile and stuck his hand out. 

“Deal.” Betty said with a grin and a nod, shaking his hand before pulling her best friend in for a tight hug. 

_January 2018_

“You know,” Betty said one morning towards the end of winter break, staring out the frosty window of their living room. “You and I never go home for the holidays. Maybe we should start our own traditions, with each other, and our friends here, you know? Make our own little family.” she tucked her toes, always freezing, under Jughead’s thigh on the suede sofa. 

“I guess? Holidays make me feel weird.” Jughead shrugged, leaning back into the sofa and glancing over at Betty. Kevin was still back at home, visiting his mom and dad, and Veronica was out on a date with her squeeze of the month, leaving Betty and Jughead to have a lazy Sunday morning to themselves. There were two mostly empty mugs on the coffee table in front of them, and the ruins of a bacon, eggs, and pancakes breakfast. 

“Me too, but that’s why I want to do it, I think. I’ve always felt sad or mad or uncomfortable about not having a family I want to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with, but that doesn’t have to be true. I can choose to make a new family, and start new traditions, and decorate a Christmas tree without my father threatening anyone or my mother harping on me about ‘holiday calorie intake’ every time I so much as look at a cookie.” Betty rolled her eyes and wrinkled her nose, shaking her head slightly. 

“We just never really did holidays. We didn’t have the money, or dad was drunk, or mom wasn’t around, or whatever. I guess I’ve never really seen the point, you know?” Jughead looked at Betty again, and she was looking at him sadly. Just sadly, not pityingly, and he truly loved that about her. She didn’t pity him, or want to fix him, she was just genuinely sad and thought he’d deserved a better life. 

“Just one year, this year, let’s try it. If you hate it, we scrap the idea.” Betty stuck her hand out, grinning hopefully, and Jughead sighed. 

“Deal. But we start with Halloween. No Valentine’s Day, and no patriotic holidays.” He pointed a finger at Betty playfully, before smirking and reaching out to shake her hand. 

“Agreed. Good working with you as always, Jones.”

“Back atcha, Cooper.”

**Author's Note:**

> so, this lil fic is just sort of a prologue to a holiday centered series of one shots. the first one is halloween, and will be up tomorrow. hope you guys enjoy! feel free to go harass me on tumblr, i'm elizabethbettscooper over there!


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